3 Days Mindfulness and Yoga Retreat in the Peak District, UK

Mindfulness and Yoga Retreats UK

Join this yoga and mindfulness holiday at the Peak District in UK. Enjoy yoga, chakra work, mindfulness, walking, swimming, yoga nidra, Indian head massage, vegetarian food, and beautiful surroundings. Use yoga to feel confident within yourself, more able to cope with life's ups and downs, and more able to listen to your inner guidance. Your physical health will be improved as your body will gradually build strength, tone, and suppleness.

Highlights

During this retreat, you will stay either in a private or a shared room. The Willersley Castle Hotel has its own mews with single or double en-suite rooms within the hotel grounds. The mews have lovely rooms which you would have sole use of for the whole weekend for the yoga. The castle also host a lift to all floors of hotel, a drawing room, a television room, a music room, a coffee shop, a table tennis area, and a hairdryer in every room.

During this retreat, you will have the opportunity to enjoy yoga classes twice a day, mindfulness practices each day, walking on Saturday and Sunday. There will be some free time for you to relax, swim, or visit Cromford Mills and book shop. Yoga will be practiced outside as much as possible. Evening will be spent with relaxations, walks, or candle gazing.

Asana classes

The yoga positions termed asanas, will help you to tone, stretch, develop flexibility, and build up strength in your body. By concentrating on the posture, the mind becomes quiet, the breath becomes slow, and self-awareness is developed. Yoga is non-competitive and is suitable for all.

If you are suffering any pain or health conditions please let the instructors know since alternative postures and modifications can be used. Within the classes, you will bring attention to the breath, to chakras, chanting, and wonderful flowing salutations often practiced with yogic music.

Yogic breath sessions

Yogic breathing techniques will help you to slow the activity of the mind as the slow smooth breathing makes the mind calm. This practice is both relaxing and revitalizing to the whole body and reduces stress. You will be taught various breathing techniques and after gaining more control of the breath, you will move onto pranayama and more advanced work. The use of these techniques can have a deep positive effect on your health.

Relaxation techniques

Specific techniques will be taught to totally relax the body and mind allowing the body to absorb the work that has taken place. Relaxation also brings about a feeling of well-being and contentment that can be taken into your daily life. Yoga Nidra brings an intense feeling of stillness to the mind and body and is very healing.

Yoga philosophy will also be touched on within the lessons to help you to highlight the link between mind, breath and body, and to develop awareness of the self and inner guidance.

Paula is an experienced yoga practitioner, qualifying as a homeopath 20 years ago and adding the Bowen Technique to her skills in 1999 and becoming a yoga teacher in 2008. She has been practicing yoga for nearly 30 years and also has experience relating to people in emotional crisis as well as offering support, advice, and information during support groups to young and adult carers. She likes to offer her classes to charities supporting mental health, carers, and young offenders.

This retreat will be held at the Willersley Castle Hotel in Derbyshire, UK. The construction of Willersley Castle began in 1790 commissioned by Sir Richard Arkwright, the great industrialist who developed the water frame which revolutionized the cotton milling industry in this country and all around the world. In 1791 a fire broke out causing severe damage to part of the interior of the castle, a major setback in construction.

The damage was repaired, but sadly Arkwright died in 1792 before completion of the building. His son, also named Richard, moved into Willersley Castle with his family in 1796 and the family continued to live there until 1922. Located at the beginning of the Peak District, it offers fabulous views, walks, and location in the historic village of Cromford, near Matlock Bath.

Nearby places

During this retreat, you will be served three daily delicious and healthy meals. All food and drinks will be vegetarian diet of a very high quality and will be prepared at the hotel. The meals will be served within the castle in a private dining room.

During your free time you may take a swim in the swimming pool, walk around the location, visit Cromford Mills, Matlock, Matlock Bath, or Scarthin Books; one of the best book shops in the country. Walks to Black Rocks Country Park and to Matlock will be offered on Saturday and Sunday.

Verified BookYogaRetreats.com reviews

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Review by Anonymous

Excellent

PROS Pros: Paula is an excellent instructor who created a fantastic atmosphere amongst the group. The yoga sessions were a mix of indoor and outdoor sessions catered to all different abilities and with some wonderful meditation/more spiritual elements too. The extra sessions offered, such as hand massage, yoga nidra, bowen technique and walks in the peak district really added to the experience. The hotle is set in a beautiful location and the accommodation, though a little basic, is comfortable, quiet and private. The food was lovely and seemingly never ending. An all round great experience which I would do again.

Organizer response: Thank you so much for the positive review, i really enjoyed the holiday in Aug, such a lovely group of people. I hope to see you on another yoga holiday in the future perhaps?
Kind regards
Paula

2017-Sep-04 13:50:58

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Review by Anonymous

'A relaxed and lovely break'

CONS Cons: The food was vegetarian food provided by the hotel. It was very enjoyable, but my own cooking tends to be a bit more health-conscious. It was more 'treat' than 'retreat' ( but I am not complaining!).

PROS Pros: The weekend was very enjoyable. Paula was very easy going and there were lots of things to do, such as walks and creative activities as well as obviously yoga, without any pressure to do everything. I enjoyed the yoga classes, that were very accessible, but also added to my existence yoga practice. Always good to notice that your own practice feels different after a retreat!
Cromford is a lovely location, also for the guided walks we did. The on-site pool provided opportunity for a proper swim.

Organizer response: Thank you so much for your review, I am glad you enjoyed the weekend, it was a lovely group of people and gorgeous weather.

2017-Aug-29 12:17:45

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Review by Anonymous

Disappointing

Organizer response: Hi there
I am sorry you were disappointed with the yoga holiday, I know that the hotel is not 4 star and a couple of us found the beds a bit hard. I do my utmost to make the weekend enjoyable, and to tailor the yoga to specific chakras.
Kind regards
Paula

2017-Aug-28 11:16:47

Testimonials

Review by Dee from United Kingdom

10 out of 10

"Wonderful yoga classes are guaranteed with Paula. She is very laid back in her teaching yet extremely knowledgeable and always provides a full class with varied postures and breathing techniques with a proper relaxation at the end. I particularly enjoy the beautiful chanting we all participate in at the start of every class, this has enhanced and deepened my yoga practice. I will truly miss Paula's classes, it will be difficult to find a replacement. "

4wellbeing website, edited

Review by Alex from United Kingdom

10 out of 10

"I love the yoga classes, they are quite often the best 90 minutes of my week and are a total escape from the usual stresses. The stretches and poses can be as gentle or as challenging as you want. Paula will always encourage you to go as far as you are able and at the same time knows exactly how to adapt the exercises for anyone with aches and pains. Paula's instructions are often so clear and precise that you don't even need to watch in order to follow them. "

"She always demonstrates the moves slowly first and will go round and help people individually if they need it. I was a complete beginner when I started these classes but my usual anxiety at trying something new, disappeared soon after I walked through the door. I think everyone feels at ease throughout the sessions and after Paula's sublime meditative techniques at the end of the class you couldn't be more relaxed."

4wellbeing website, edited

Review by Carol from United Kingdom

10 out of 10

"I have enjoyed yoga classes with Paula now for over seven years. Having practiced yoga for quite some years, I found Paula at a time when I had given up on it for a while and needed to ease myself back into it gently and that is exactly what Paula helped me to achieve. Her classes are gentle but at the same time dynamic. Paula will always give you the option of holding the posture or coming out when you feel it is right for your body. I also love the spiritual aspect that Paula brings to the class, gentle but yet not forced on anyone. I look forward to my weekly session with Paula."